


Spring Showers

by 3rdgymmanager



Series: Springtime in Sendai [5]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Awkward Tsukishima Kei, Childhood Friends, F/M, POV Tsukishima Kei, Tsukishima Kei is Bad at Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:56:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26392261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3rdgymmanager/pseuds/3rdgymmanager
Summary: Summary: What’s it like to be in a relationship with Kei Tsukishima, who is now in college?
Relationships: Tsukishima Kei/Original Female Character(s), Tsukishima Kei/Reader
Series: Springtime in Sendai [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862608
Kudos: 29





	Spring Showers

**Author's Note:**

> Kaori Miyahara is an original character, but readers are free to put themselves into her shoes! 
> 
> Genre and pairing: Tsukki x fem!reader/Oc , FLUFF, Slice of life??

6:00 PM  
Amemaru Junior High  
Miyagi Prefecture

“Tsukki…are you alright? You look upset.” said Yamaguchi, “You’ve been pissed all day.”

Practice had just ended when Yamaguchi finally broached him on his sour mood. 

“It’s been a long week,” Tsukishima muttered distractedly. 

Yamaguchi was not convinced. He had been best friends with Tsukki since before Junior High. Something was definitely bothering him. They left their school gym to begin walking home. 

Halfway through their route, Tsukki finally opened up.

“I overheard one of our classmates was going to ask for Kaori’s number during graduation next month.” His lips were pursed into a tense line. 

Kaori Miyahara was Tsukki’s next door neighbor, who moved to the prefecture at the start of Junior High. She competed as a gymnast. He walked to school with her every morning and she was his only other friend really. Tsukki found her bothersome at first but lately he was slowly growing attracted to her. 

Yamaguchi resisted the urge to chuckle. Despite Tsukki’s intimidating stature, he was a jealous softy at heart. 

“Doesn’t mean Kaori will actually give him her number.” shrugged Yamaguchi. As their third year in Junior High was coming to a close, Yamaguchi had gotten better at consoling Tsukki’s anxieties about her. 

“But what if she does?” Tsukki persisted. 

Yamaguchi stopped at his tracks and crossed his arms, “Then maybe you should make a move.”

Tsukki shook his head, “She doesn’t like me that way. I would know if she did. Besides, she told me that she didn’t want a boyfriend. Gymnasts that get boyfriends either quit gymnastics or leave their boyfriends. I don’t want her to quit on me or her sport.” 

“Then you have nothing to worry about. If she’s not interested at all, even if she gives him her number, nothing will happen.”

They continued walking. He caught a hint of Tsukki’s smile creeping on the edge of his lips.

“I guess you’re right.” he said. 

They reached the intersections that separated their homes. Right across the street was Kaori, on her way home from her gym. 

“See you next week,” bade Yamaguchi with a knowing smile. Tsukki shot him a glare. Kaori walked by his side, her hair was out of her usual braid. They rarely walked home together. Tsukki tried to keep his nerves down.

“Are you nervous for your competition tomorrow?” he asked casually. 

“Little bit,” she mumbled, “I just want to pace myself. My back is taped up again.” She pulled down a bit of her neckline to show him the athletic tape that snaked until her shoulders. They walked in silence. 

Kaori nudged him with her hip, “You’ll come see me tomorrow right?”

“Tch, I told you we’ll be visiting my brother at the city tomorrow…” he trailed. Kaori could not hide her disappointment. He hated to see her dejected, “But it’s only for lunch. We should be done by early afternoon, I’ll go to the Sendai City Gymnasium when we’re done.”

She perked up and smiled. He smiled back. He could never help himself with her. 

Tsukki secretly loved it when she handed him competition tickets. It made him feel special because she didn’t give them out to just anyone. He used to keep her tickets in his wallet but later transferred them to an old cookie tin on his desk when his wallet became too tight. 

It doesn’t take too much to make him cheer him up. Tickets and her smile were enough. 

—————————————————————————————

5:00 PM  
Sendai University Gym  
Second Year in University, Last Semester

Kei Tsukishima beelined for the gymnasium of the rhythmic gymnastics team. He had just come from his own game with the Sendai frogs, which meant he’d missed Kaori’s last competition of the season. Instead he received updates through Yamaguchi and the inter-collegiate score page. Yachi occasionally chimed in on their group chat. 

Kaori’s team placed fourth, just one slot away from qualifying into the National Collegiate Championships. Even though she held the high score for two events, her accumulated team score fell short. As his concession, he promised to pick her up from the gym with flowers in hand. 

Just as he got to the corner before the gym, he stopped, sat and waited for her from there. He texted her that he was at their meeting spot. She came for him five minutes later, looking quietly dejected. 

“You’re scarily quiet,” he commented. 

“I’m just so pissed.” she grunted. 

Tsukki awkwardly handed her the flowers. She grudgingly accepted, looking a little scorned by the consolation bouquet. He could feel her fuming inside her head. 

He gently nudged her by the waist, accidentally using more force than he realized. She instinctively shoved him back crossly. 

“Hey, I’m sorry,” he said, stumbling. He tried to hide his smirk. It was rare to see her so upset. 

“Tsukki stop smiling, I can see you from the corner of my eye.” she huffed. 

“It’s funny to see short people pissed off,” he chuckled. She glared at him. He slung an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. 

The university campus was empty today. They could stand a little closer without people talking. 

When her head eventually began to cool, Kaori spoke up. 

“When I competed in elite, I used to hate being yelled at. I hated it when my coach pulled my hair. I hated being weighed everyday. But I thought it would all be worth it as long as I reached my goal. Why did I endure all that suffering when I’m going to fail? What was the point?” she mumbled. 

The sky had grown dark and they were walking under street lights. The campus was eerily silent except for the shuffling of their footsteps. 

“Maybe the point was you shouldn’t have endured all that.” he replied.

“I know…it’s days like this when I want to quit. Sometimes it’s so difficult to love this sport when you are put through a mill and you don’t even get your results.” she swallowed with a lump in her throat.

Before her last ribbon routine, Kaori was under immense pressure. One of her teammates had made a costly mistake and she herself had a slight error on clubs. Kaori had the highest scoring potential among her team mates. They could still realistically finish within the top 3, but it was an outside shot and Kaori had to have a lights out performance.

About an hour before her last routine, she called her friends for moral support. 

“You’re nervous you just gotta let it out,” Yachi advised through the phone. 

“For us to even have an outside shot, I need a record score. Sheeshh!” exclaimed Kaori.

She could hear the two of them breathe at her on Yachi’s speaker. 

“Well, I mean you shouldn’t give up just yet…” started Yamaguchi, “But don’t be afraid to embrace that this might be your last competition of the year too.” 

“Yamaguchi, I can only choose one.” she said flatly.

“I meant ahh…how do I explain this…” he stammered. 

Yamaguchi breathed out and gathered his thought, “This could realistically be your last competition, right? How do you want your last event to go? You have nothing to lose.”

Kaori could still not make it to nationals whether she did well or not. Still she was set to try her best. 

“Realistically, Kao-chan” piped in Yachi, “You can do it.

Kaori remembered ending her routine. The gymnasium entirely silent. As she stood to catch her breath, the applause came. 

“Was that enough to get us the score we need?” she thought. Her mind was so caught up on the score that she couldn’t even properly enjoy the moment. 

Tsukki nudged her back into reality. 

“I heard you had a really good last routine though.”

“I did,” she perked up, “You should’ve seen me. There were people crying.”

“I wish I did, but that’s kind of the drawback of dating another athlete.” he sighed, “When we were in Junior High, I thought that you should date me because I totally understood your schedule. I wouldn’t be the type of guy to demand time that you didn’t have only to realize we can’t always be at each other’s competitions.”

“Big talk for someone who couldn’t even own up to me back then,” she snorted. Tsukki was flustered. 

Kaori remembered something. She pulled out an unused ticket from her bag and handed them to him. He took it and carefully placed it in his wallet.

“I don’t understand why you’d keep my old tickets.” she shook her head. 

They were now heading to her apartment so that she could get changed before dinner. 

“I just like collecting them,” he shrugged innocently.

“Makes me feel special.” he thought. 

——————————————————————————  
4:00 PM  
Kaori’s apartment  
Second Year in University, Last Semester

“Looks like we’ll just have to stay in today.”

Kaori peered at Tsukki as her lids became heavy with sleep. She could hear the steady trickle of the rain outside of her window. 

“What a waste of a beautiful spring afternoon,” she thought. They were supposed to go to a nearby park with some friends, but plans were cancelled because of the weather. She liked the days when they could go outside, but Tsukki probably liked it better when they stayed indoors. 

She yawned before lying on her stomach. With her last bit of will, she laced her fingers into his before the lull of sleep overtook her. 

The weather was turning warm.The rain had cooled the city again. Tsukki watched as Kaori wafted into her nap. Their seasons had just ended and they were both completely exhausted. Until they recover, this was probably the best way to spend their time: napping. 

Kaori would have preferred to be out and about, but he wanted to take a break and catch up on their academics. He wasn’t necessarily behind; he just wasn’t as on time as he would like. 

Tsukki pulled out his homework and yellow highlighter from his bag. He popped the lid off with his teeth and began highlighting with just his right hand. 

The past year had been a whirlwind. This time last year, he was relearning how to be around Kaori - her quirks, habits, and temperament. Despite having known her for so long, he found that he had to learn many more things to keep up with their changing relationship - how to ask for help, how to be vulnerable, how to make love. Now he was learning how to read with only one hand. 

Kaori liked to sleep holding his hand. He was hesitant to pull away and wake her. One year ago, he would spat at how silly the situation was and just pulled his hand away. Now, the gesture was a way for them to make the most out of their scarce weekends and so he let it be. 

The smell of wet pavement and plants filled his nose. When they were younger, the thought of touching her skin overwhelmed him. In their first year in High School, Kaori had asked him to teach him how to fold her sleeves.

“You know how to fold sleeves. Why do you need my help?” he had pretended to scoff. 

“I don’t know how to do it with the ends poking out. You know…the way the cool seniors do it.”

Truthfully, he knew what she meant. He was doing what he could to put it off because it meant having his fingertips brush her arm. She stuck her blazer off and shoved her arm to him. 

Sighing as if it was the largest chore in the world, he unbuttoned the end of her sleeves and began neatly folding her right sleeve. As soon as his finger touch the heat of her arm, he jerked back.

“God! You're so warm, do you have a fever?” Deep down however, Tsukki was overwhelmingly ready to combust. He didn’t know if he could finish the task. 

“No, that’s just the blazer,” she brushed him aside. Seeing as her arm was still up. He quickly set to work, tugging the ends of her sleeves to finish. 

“There,” he said, desperately hoping he wasn’t blushing. Kaori replicated his folds on her other sleeve, proudly showing him her new found skill. 

“Now, I’m a proper High School student.” she beamed. 

By the time they met again at the end of their first year, Tsukki had gained more tolerance for touch. He was secretly proud that his palms didn’t get too sweaty the first time they held hands. A year in, he still occasionally got nervous. Old habits die hard. 

When dinner started to approach, Kaori dragged herself from her bed and yawned. Tsukki instinctively put his things away and began clearing the sink. She pulled out some vegetables from the fridge and began chopping them up for their dinner. Two pots appeared on the stove top. One for soup and another for their main course. 

“What are we having tonight?” he murmured, trying not to cry as he diced some onions. 

“I have some curry cubes I’ve been meaning to use up,” she thought out loud. 

Tsukki nodded and wiped away his tears, “Well, I hope this is enough onion because this is as far as I can go.” The sting was so bad he had to take his glasses off. 

Kaori laughed and tenderly wiped away his tears with her fingers, her palms resting on his cheek. Touch was almost second nature to her, especially next to him. 

“You look so handsome without your glasses,” she cooed. 

“Yeah, but I can’t see without them so I’ll stick to being mediocre.” he smirked, slipping his glasses back on and pushing his hair away from his eyes. 

“Well I do rather you be able to see me,” she smiled. 

The pot of boiling water was hissed, ready to boil over. Kaori had forgotten to watch it. For a brief moment she panicked and flinched. Tsukki calmly opened the lid, turned down the heat and added a tablspoon of miso paste. He stirred while she occupied herself with her vegetables. 

“I’ll take care of the soup. You finish up on your cutting.” he said, throwing in some wakame and tofu. 

Whenever household chores go awry, her first instinct was to brace herself. She had a bit of getting too focused on doing one thing and ending up neglecting something else. Her parents used to yell at her for it. She couldn’t help being an airhead. Being shouted at used to make her nervous, but over her time in gym she had numbed herself to its effects. 

“It’s just hot water on a stove,” he said as if reading her mind, “Don’t think about it too much.” 

After tossing in her chopped vegetables onto her pot, it was time for the curry. Unable to reach the slot of her highest kitchen cabinet, she stood on a stool to reach for her curry cubes. Her shoulders almost matched the height of his. 

“I can see you eye to eye now,” she grinned, with her hands on her waist. She almost always had to tilt her chin up when they spoke. It was refreshing to be able to see him on the same level. 

“I’m still taller,” he smirked, gesturing over her head. 

She sighed, “Man, you really won’t let me have this.” 

“Well, now I can do this without bending down.” He kissed her on the forehead and turned his attention back onto the soup. 

Kaori smiled and stepped down from her stool. The mixture was beginning to boil and she would have to add the cubes soon. She began unboxing the curry. 

“The table counter is so far when I’m on the stool.” she explained. 

When she was younger, she wasn’t necessarily unhappy. “Contented enough” was probably the best description. Cooking with Tsukki on early Sunday evening was a slice of domesticity she didn’t think would bring her so much joy. 

As he started on the dishes and turned on the rice cooker, Kaori snuck a glance at him. A year ago, Sundays indoors bored her to death. Tonight, even though they were stuck indoors and the air smelled like spring showers, she found little reason to complain.


End file.
